Black IPA
Left Hand Brewing Company

RB transfer

 

 

12 oz can about 1 week from the BB date stamped on the bottom of the can.

This is a particularly harmonious Black IPA, with a strong input from dark roasted grains mixing nicely with an American IPA level of hops. Both dark toasted grains and herbal, slightly pineyhops linger on in the aftertaste.

Appearance: Pours a clear cola brown with a two finger beige head; decent retention with some shards and clumps of lacing

Smell: Pine and stone fruit are supported by toasted bread, roast and caramel notes

Taste: Pine dominates from start to finish with a vague fruity character rounding out the profile; underneath, some roast, caramel and toasted bread provide support

Mouthfeel: Medium body with moderate carbonation

Overall: Black IPAs have largely come and gone so it is interesting to see Left Hand take a stab at the style; I will go so far as to say that, if more beers in this style tasted like this, the style might have had better longevity

 

 

Jet black in color with a surprisingly light colored head. Lacing was present. Nose was malty and charred smelling. Taste was similar to nose, malty and charred tasting. Good, but not great

12oz can

Pours two fingers of light brown head into my nitro glass. Retention is above average, and half a finger of head remains after a few minutes. Lacing is very nice. Body is black with a fair amount of brown hues. Looks pretty good.

Nose has a subtle pine backbone with a pronounced mix of tropical and stone fruits. Nothing in the way of roasty notes, there may be some faint caramel or bread. Smells quite nice.

The flavor is primarily pine, stone fruit, and faint tropical fruit. The pine and stone fruit come out even more with warmth. Subtle roasted notes come out after a good amount of time. This is enjoyable.

Carbonation is relatively high, there is a hoppy bite to it as well. Body drinks somewhat light. Bitterness is medium, with a touch of sweetness - nice balance. Mouthfeel is nice.

Drinkability is great. This is tasty, light, and has a surprisingly crisp nature to it.

Overall a subtle Black IPA that does a really nice job of tastefully blending some fruit into a style that has no business accepting any. Not a whole lot of black qualities up front, but they are surely playing a role in the background.

The beer pours a good tan and creamy head that dissipates every slowly. The beer itself is, well, black.

The smell contains a nice roasted and bitter chocolate malt that follows a strong floral grapefruit note that dominates the smell.

The taste is really good since it encompasses both the best of stouts and IPAs in one. It starts with the roasted chocolate malt notes that are complemented by a bitter grapefruit flavor.

The feel is good. It has a medium heavy body and soft fluffy carbonation with a dry finish.

Overall, this is a very good American Black Ale (I will die on this hill.).

 

Poured from a can into a pint glass
Appearance – The beer pours a deep brown color with a small head of tan colored foam. The head fades rather fast leaving a light level of lace on the sides of the glass.
Smell – The aroma is strong of a pine hop smell mixed with aromas of roasted malt and a bit of chocolate. Other smells of cola and molasses, as well as a herbal and oatmeal smell are moderately strong as well. Rounding it all out is a touch of grapefruit and a bit of coffee.
Taste – The taste begins with a nice roasted malt flavor mixed with a good showing of pine and herbal hop. There is a lighter sweetness of caramel and molasses as well as a touch of cocoa. The cocoa fades as the taste advances, but is replaced by some oat and a bit of orange and tangerine, the later of which are quite light. There is a decent showing of grapefruit at the very end of the taste, and with the increase in the roastiness, one is left with a nicely hopped roasty taste to linger on the tongue.
Mouthfeel – The body of the brew is medium in thickness and creaminess with a carbonation level that is average as well. For the mix of roastiness and hop the feel is nice and creates a nice medium for appreciation of all the flavors.
Overall – A rather well crafted and quite delicious black IPA. Quite well done.

 

12oz can BEST BY 05/05/2023 poured into a Spiegelau IPA glass at fridge temp 7% ABV. The beer pours medium brown in color with chestnut highlights and light brown head. The head recedes to a thin cap and leaves lots of tightly webbed lacing. The aroma is moderately strong starting with pine followed by lesser notes of caramel malt and citrus. The taste is bittersweet caramel malt with just a hint roasted malt before the piney and citrus hop flavor pops through. Moderate bitterness. The mouthfeel is thin to medium bodied with average carbonation and a mostly dry finish. Overall, very good.

 

 

 

 

12oz can. Can bottom is stamped 'BEST BY: 05/05/2023'.
Deep brown colored body, with a caramel brown back lit edge. Thin beige colored head upon pouring, results in an isolated island and a ring. Leaves behind some webs of lacing.
Aroma is faint, with roasted malt and citrus hops.
Taste is rather sweet with the roasted malts, which have a minor burnt flavor. The hops bring in some bitterness but the flavor is citrus and pine. Earthy end in the aftertaste.
Medium mouth feel. Very good carbonation.
Rather muted black IPA, with a brief soapy flavor appearance that detracts from the enjoyment.